Pillow fights are a normal part of school trips in Japan, when several students sleep in the same hotel room and start throwing pillows at each other. Known for its onsen (hot springs), Ito City in Shizuoka is the first place in Japan to turn pillow fights into a competitive sport. This unique event in which competitors can relieve stress by throwing pillows at each other is held in order to promote Ito Onsen. This competition is different from Western pillow fights, which involve hitting each other with pillows, and is unique to Ito City.
Based on the idea of a student from the local Ito High School Jogasaki branch school, the All-Japan Pillow Fighting Tournament in Ito Onsen is a legitimate sport with rules, involving teams of six to eight people. The number of teams competing has grown from 18 teams in the first tournament in 2013 to 48 general division teams and 9 children’s division teams in this year’s tournament, the sixth.
Thanks to various media reporting on the tournament, it has expanded. Until now, participating teams were chosen by lottery, but this year for the first time there will be qualifiers for the Kanto region, with plans to hold regional qualifiers throughout Japan in the future.
If you are interested in covering the tournament, please send us the information requested below.
[Overview]
■Date and Time:
Saturday, February 24, 2018 10:00–17:30 General Division (Qualifiers) 72 matches in total
Sunday, February 25, 2018 9:30–16:30 General Division (Repechage, Finals) 40 matches in total
Children’s Division (Qualifiers, Finals) 13 matches in total
■Location: Ito Shimin Taiiku Center (716-115, Kusumimotowada, Ito, Shizuoka)
■Map: http://www.city.ito.shizuoka.jp/shougai_gakushuu/html/shisetsu/hpg000002520.html
■Divisions: ①General Division (48 teams) ②Children’s Division (9 teams)
■Video of Competition Rules (Japanese): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8WF0VpwOfo
[Applications]
●Name: ●Media Organization (Nationality):
●Email: ●Mobile Phone:
■Send application information to kankou@city.ito.shizuoka.jp
■Contact Info: Ito City Tourism Section 0557-32-1714 (direct) (Japanese only)
[Notes]
*Please use a taxi to go to the venue from Ito Station (approx. 12 minutes)
*In general, support will only be available in Japanese. Please contact us in advance to discuss support in English or other languages.
Previous All-Japan Pillow Fighting Tournaments in Ito Onsen
